Conan’s in town (and very, very tall)

Impending “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien was in town for a few hours Tuesday as part of a national promotional swing to chat up the press and advertisers about his new gig. First things first: Yes, he is just as tall as you think he is; he has very nice teeth; and his right hand (the one I got to shake) is very soft. (I cannot vouch for his left.)

O’Brien’s folks have a tiny tie to San Antonio. His dad was stationed at Fort Sam Houston when they got married in the ’50s, and O’Brien’s mom has spoken fondly of the city. O’Brien, too, said he picked up on a positive vibe here: “There are parts of the country where hospitality is in the bones, and parts where it’s third on the list,” he said. He pointed to the spread of pan dulce, cookies and food-stuffed gift baskets laid out for him at the WOAI studios as evidence that it’s in San Antonio’s bones.

A hospitable fellow himself, he switched off the muted television at the start of the interview. “I’m contractually obligated to watch NBC at all times,” he said. “My children watched NBC in utero.”

O’Brien was here mostly to talk about the “Tonight Show,” joking that he was going to premiere a new personality when he steps into the host position there June 1; “I’m going to be a big show business phony,” adding that he planned to wear nothing but white shirts and slacks and drive around in a convertible. (All of that was a joke, by the way.)

I asked him whether he had his eye on any elderly celebrities who might fill the Abe Vigoda slot. (Fans may recall that he released Vigoda, who frequently appeared in skits on the show, into his natural habitat during that last week of “Late Night” shows.) He said that he didn’t adding, “We’re putting Abe in a Fed Ex tube and sending him to L.A.”

He was hoping to head over to the Alamo, though, he said, he might not have time — “they keep me on a pretty short leash.” Then, he caught himself, smiled, and said, “I keep forgetting — they work for me.” So, did anybody spot him at the Alamo Tuesday afternoon?